Billy Eckstine Quotes & Sayings

“L.A. is kind of laid back, but New York, everybody is out there for that buck, you know.”

“I knew exactly what I was, and there was no hang-up with me. None whatsoever. The fact that the pigment of my skin maybe being lighter brown than other people of my race, maybe some of them, but you know our race has all colors.”

“If you want to be a doctor, a lawyer you must go to college. But if you want to be a musician or such, study your craft. Study music.”

“Oh, yeah. I know Dizzy. For years he's been my buddy way, way, way back. Dizzy is one of the most astute guys and one of the most learned guys in the world and knows exactly what he's doing musically.”

“You can't sing about love unless you know about it.”

“I don't have perfect pitch, but I have relative pitch. I'm glad I don't have perfect pitch because perfect pitch can drive you crazy.”

“Piano should be the one. Yeah, because that's your basis. Everything is right there in front of you.”

“I'm used to hearing myself. My own voice.”

“As a matter of fact they'd blacken us down. I guess there's a reason that according to what the Caucasian wanted us to look like. He wanted us to look-if we were Black, then he had his idea of what we look like.”

“I was still in school at the time and Cab was very popular and everybody was doing Cab Calloway so I did.”